Punching-machine



G. P. THOMAS.

PUNCHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1919.

Patented June 8, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- G. P. THOMAS. PUNCHING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1919.

Patented June 8, 1920.

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-yffilkf PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE PAUL THOMAS, OF GLENSHAW, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUNCHING-MAGHINE.

Specification of-Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Application filed July 2, 1919. Serial No. 308,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE PAUL THOMAS, residing at Glenshaw, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Punching-Machines, of which im provements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for punching structural material such as plates, angles, beams, etc., and has particularly to do with multiple plate-punching machines of the type in which the punches and dies are so mounted on their respective carriers as to be adjustable transversely of the line of feed through the machine while the machine'is in operation.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for interconnecting the punches and dies or a punch and die for simultaneous adjustment, and to provide improved means for effecting such adjustment;

In the accompanying sheets of drawings which form part of my specification, the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Figure 1 is an end view of the punching machine; Fig. 2 an elevation of part of the right side of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a vertical sectional view taken on-the line III-III, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 a detached view of the punch and die-adjusting mechanism, showing Various parts in different relative positions than they are indicated in Fig. 1.

The punching machine may be of any well known or desired form or type of construction, that shown herein being a squareframed multiple punching machine including a frame 1, provided with a vertically movable head 2 adapted to be reciprocated by a power shaft 3, which may be r0.-

tated by means of a motor 4 connected to such shaft by means of a suitable train of gears, such as indicated in Fig. 1. The lower portion of the punching frame is 2 provided with an'anvil 5. As is usual in machines of this sort, the punches are secured to the lower face of the reciprocating head or ram and the dies to the upper face of the anvil.

In the practice of myinvention, any desired number of punches and cooperating dies may be mounted upontheir respective carriers. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, and because the number selected is frequently used in practi e, the

punching head is indicated as being provided with four punches 6, o, 7 and 7 (Fig. 4), the punches 6 and 6 being connected to each other for adjustment as a unit, and the punches 7 and 7 being similarly connected to each other. In like manner the anvil 5 is equipped with four dies 8, 8 9 and 9 adapted to cooperate in pairs with the punches, the dies 8 and 8" being connected to each other for adjustment as a unit with the punches 6 and 6 and the dies 9 and 9 being similarly connected. Preferably the punches are, in the order named, mounted in holders 10, 10*, 11 and 11, which are slidably mounted on the lower end of the reciprocating head 2. Similarly, the several dies are mounted in die-holders 12, 12, 13 and 13 slidably mounted upon the anvil 5.

Various forms of punch and die holders may be used to the end that they may slide upon their respective carriers. As indicated particularly in Fig. 3, each punch holder may be provided with two lateral detents 35 and 36 adapted to engage correspondingly shaped recesses extending transversely in the punching head, and a holder 37 may be attached to such head to engage the top of the punch holder. The die holder is preferably provided with a central downwardly extending detent 38 lying in a recess 39 formed in the top of the anvil. For punching classes of work in which the spacing of the holes is so irregular that the centers are advantageously indicated by centerpunch marks, the punch may be of the floating type, the general construction and operation of which is well understood by those skilled in the art.

For interconnecting a punch and its cooperating die for simultaneous adjustment upon the punching head and anvil, connections are provided which include a pivoted link extending transversely of the line of reciprocation of the punching head. Having reference to the connections between the punches 7 and 7 and dies 8 and 8*, such a link, indicated at 14, may be pivotally connected at one end to a block 15 attached to the punch holders 11 and 11, and at its other end to an arm 16 projecting upwardly from a the outer end of a bar 17 attached to the diethen in the other. By using a link of conpendicular to the line of reciprocation .oi -the head when the head is in its lower position,

this lateral sliding movement ofthe punch will be so small as to be negligible. In'practice I have found that the linkflmay1.sbe ad- F vantageously so pivotedthat it will be perpendicular to'the punching head when the end of a punch is about one third through the metal being punched.

The bar 17 is preferably constructed in two parts, including the part 17 and a secondpart 17 which extends adjacent to the face of the anvil. For moving the bar 17, 17 to effect simultaneous adjustment or punches and dies, thelower face of the bar '17 may be provided with a rack 18 adapted to mesh with a pinion 1*9 keyed to a shaft 20 which may be rotated in one direction or the other by means of a 'hand lever 21, a suitable clutch or pawl, controlled or operated by leansof a trigger 22, being provided for making and breaking connections between the hand lever and the shaft 20.

In punching some classes of work, pal

' ticularly plates for shipbuilding, it is devided, respectively, with racks 24 and 25,

each adapted to mesh with a pinion 45 ar-, ranged between the racks and rotatably mounted in the bracket 27 attached to the side of: frame 1. It will be seen that the rotation-of the pinion 19't0'cause the bar 17 to move in one direction will, through the pinion 45, cause the bar 23 to move in the opposite direction, and that such opposite movements of the bars 17 and "23 will impart corresponding opposite movements to the die holders to which they are directly connected :and to the punch holders to which they are connected through the pivoted levers 1.4 and 14. The bars 17, 17 -and'23 may be supported and guided in I their lateral movements by means of suitable rollers 26 rotatably mounted on brackets 2 and 28 attached. to the opposite sides of the punching frame 1. i

The punches shown herein are" Whatis known as gag punches, that i's'to say, punches which are controlled by meanso f gags 29 -Fig. 3) adapted to be reciprocated transversely of the line of reciprocation of the punching head, each gag belng movable from the-position indicated in Fig. 3, 1n

which it backs the punch, to an outward po sition i'n which'the punch is free to move within the punch holder when the punching head descends. For controlling t'he' gags in the -various adjust-able positions of the punches, each gag is preferably provided with an arm 30 which has sliding connection with the lower face otka bar or angle 3L 'The bar 3l extends'the'full width of the intended lateral range of adjustment of the punches upon the punch-i-nghead and is supported by the outer ends of arms 32 connected for swinging movement to a shaft 83', tothe outer endof whichshaft there is attached an operating handle 34; In'the illustrative embodiment of the inventiomthe bar 31 con trols the gags for the punches- 6 and 6 and a second bar 31 similar to-the bar 31, is provided for controlling gags of the punches 7 and 7. As will be seem-the bar 3 1 is, by

means of arms 32, attached to :a shaft 33,

which is parallel to the shaft 33, and is provided at its outer end with an operating handle 34?. g V V r In Fig. 1 of the drawings all of the punches and their cooperating dies are According to the provisions of the patent r Y statutes I have described the principle and operation of my invention together withsthe construction which I now'consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desirev to have it understood that, within the scopeof the appended claims, my invention may be practisedby other forms of construction than that particularly shown and describedherein. l I claim 'as my invention: x

- '1". In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil, a reciprocating head, a cooperating punch 'andfdie adjustably borne the one by said anvil and the otherv by said head, means for moving one of said tools upon its carrier, and means connecting said punch and die-to each other torsimul'taneous adjustment, "said; connecting means including a pivoted link extending transversely of the line of reciprocation of said-head} '5 2. In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil provided with an adjustable die holder, a vertically reciprocat ing head provided with an adjustable punch holder, means for adjusting said die holder upon said anvil, and means connecting said punch and die holders to each other for simultaneous adjustment, said means including an elongate pivoted link extending transversely of the line of reciprocation of said head and lying in a position substantially perpendicular to the line of reciprocation of the punching head when such head is in its lower position.

8. In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil provided with an adjustable die holder, a reciprocating head provided with an adjustable punch holder, a bar connected to and extending laterally from said die holder, a link pivoted at its opposite ends to said punch holder and said bar, and means for moving said bar to ad just simultaneously said die and punch holders.

4. In a metal punching machine, the combination of a pair of tool carriers, means for reciprocating said carriers with respect to each other, two punches adjustably borne by one and two dies adjustably borne by the other of said carriers, 1' laterally movable bars arranged parallel to each other and attached one to each of two like tools, means for simultaneously moving said bars in opposite directions to adjust the tools to which the bars are attached, and means for connecting said bars one to one and the other to the other of the other like tools whereby cooperating pairs of unlike tools may be simultaneously adjusted.

5. In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil provided with two adjustable die' holders, a reciprocating head provided with two adjustable punch holders, laterally movable bars arranged parallel to each other and attached one to each of said die holders, means for simultaneously moving said bars in opposite directions, and means for connecting said bars the one to one and the other to the other of said punch holders whereby said punch holders may be adjusted simultaneously with their cooperating die holders.

6. In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil provided with two adjustable die holders, a reciprocating head provided with two adjustable punch holders,laterally movable bars arranged parallel to each other upon said anvil and attached one to each of said die holders, means for simultaneously moving said bars in opposite directions, and links pivoted one to each of said bars and to one of said punch holders whereby said punch holders may be adjusted simultaneously with their cooperating die holders.

7 In a metal punching machine, the combination of an anvil provided with two adjustable die holders, a reciprocating head provided with two adjustable punch holders, laterally movable bars arranged parallel to each other upon said anvil and attached one to each of said die holders, said bars being provided with oppositely disposed racks, a rotatably mounted pinion meshing with both racks, means for moving one of said bars whereby said die holders may be adjusted in opposite directions, and means for connecting said bars the one to one and the other to the other of said punch holders whereby said punch holders may be adjusted simultaneously with their cooperating die holders.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE PAUL THOMAS. Witnesses:

PAUL N. CRrroHLoW, FRANCIS J. TOMASSON. 

